In Berehove, 285,000 hryvnias were embezzled during sidewalk repairs
In Berehove, in the Zakarpattia region, two officials have been charged with the alleged embezzlement of funds allocated for sidewalk repairs on Stefanyk Street. According to investigators, out of the 800,000 hryvnias allocated for the work, 285,000—more than a third of the total—may have been embezzled. The court ordered the suspects to be placed under nighttime house arrest, and they face up to eight years in prison under the charges brought against them.
The case concerns major repairs to the sidewalk on Stefanyk Street in Berehove. In July 2025, the Department of Municipal Services and Public Works of the Berehove City Council announced a tender for this work. The winner was the municipal enterprise “City Road Repair and Construction Division,” which agreed to carry out the repairs for 800,000 hryvnias. According to Prozorro data, the tender was uncontested. In other words, there were no other bidders competing for the right to carry out the work.
The contract was signed by Oleksandr Kysil, head of the Berehove City Council’s Department of Municipal Services and Public Works, and Oleksiy Melnychyn, director of the municipal enterprise. Law enforcement officials now suspect these two individuals of involvement in the embezzlement of budget funds.
The documents listed more work than was actually performed
According to the Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office, false information regarding the scope of work performed was included in the documents during the repair. The reports stated that more work had been done than was actually the case. Despite this, the documents were signed, and the enterprise received payment based on them. Investigators believe that in this way, the suspects embezzled 285,000 hryvnias from the total contract amount. This represents more than 35% of all funds allocated for the sidewalk repairs.
The prosecutor’s office stated that the officials acted in collusion. One signed the documents on behalf of the contractor, and the other on behalf of the client. The funds were then transferred to the municipal utility’s account. “A city council official and the head of a municipal enterprise acted in collusion: one signed the documents on behalf of the contractor, and the other on behalf of the client, after which the funds were transferred to the enterprise’s account,” the Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office reported.
What the Officials Are Suspected Of
Law enforcement officials are charging both men with misappropriation of another’s property under martial law as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals, as well as official forgery. The charges fall under Part 4 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 28, and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. These articles provide for a sentence of up to eight years in prison. In addition, the suspects may be suspended from their positions.
The court has already imposed a pretrial measure on them—nighttime house arrest. This means they must remain at home during the hours specified by the court at night. At this stage, these are allegations, not a guilty verdict. The officials’ guilt must be proven in court.
As a reminder, in Odesa, a driver stabbed a military police officer with a knife and attempted to run him over with a car.
Prior to this, law enforcement officials announced that a 41-year-old Kyiv resident was under suspicion for opening fire on October 19 inside the Pecherskyi District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Military Service building in Kyiv. He faces life imprisonment.
